2008 Woodie Awards
Strength in Numbers
A look at the graduating class and the last four years, statistically
Tara House
Issue date: 5/5/07 Section: Homestretch
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Where is everybody moving to? Who is going to what grad-schools? Who's got what jobs lined up for when they graduate? Can you believe it's almost over? I remember this, and I remember that. It feels like only yesterday...and so on. These are the thoughts and questions that run through the minds of most UAlbany seniors-as in any college or university-but what about the numbers and the figures of the past four years statistically?
In an interview with Jeff Gerken, Assistant Director of Institutional Research at the University's Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Effectiveness, I researched some statistics on the class of 2007, those before them, and graduating classes across the nation.
Here is what I found.
Out of the approximately 2,200 entering freshman (average number of entering freshman per year) in the fall of 2003, only 50% will be graduating this spring. This figure stands above the national average of public colleges and universities by 30%. Private institutions, however, fall not too far behind, with a four-year graduation rate of 41%.
According to Gerken, the more commonly documented graduation rate is of six years, rather than four. SUNY's six-year-rate stands at 63% whereas the national six-year rate for public institutions is 45% and for private, 57%.
As for SUNY Albany, in comparison to the SUNY system, as a whole, we once again stand above average. The four-year-rate-as of 2003-was 41% and its six-year rate was 58%.
Among the array of various facts and figures, one particular set of numbers really spoke to the students of this year's graduating class and their four-year trek through college.
Every year, Gerken and his co-workers keep a record of the retention rates for each individual class. For example, in May of 2004, only 84% of the entering freshman class (now the exiting senior class) remained-or matriculated as sophomores here at SUNY. Then in May of 2005, that figure dropped to 74%, and again to 68% in May of 2006. Now, in May of 2007, it has been approximated that 50% of the original freshman class remains and is graduating this spring.
This is not to say that only half of an estimated 2,200 will be graduating in a few weeks. One must take into account the numerous amounts of transfer students over the years, among other things.
In the fall of 2005, Institutional Research charted the undergraduate student body-12,013 students-as 32% transfers (3,727 students) and 65% admitted as freshman (7,827 students).
Other statistics that Gerken spoke of were the top five majors declared in the fall of 2005. Psychology ranked number one with 577 declares, Business next with 569, English with 556, Sociology with 455, and Biology came in fifth with 454.